TA Associates Announces Majority Investment in DigiCert

December 17, 2012 07:00 AM Eastern Time

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TA Associates, a leading global growth private equity firm, today
announced it has completed a majority investment in DigiCert, Inc., a
leading provider of enterprise security solutions. Terms of the
investment were not disclosed.

“In
addition, the continued growth in e-commerce and the attendant need to
establish secure vendor websites will foster ongoing demand for SSL
certificates. DigiCert is well positioned to capitalize on these trends.”

Founded in 2003, DigiCert provides online authentication and encryption
services primarily through Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificates to
companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and educational
and medical institutions worldwide, including some of the most
recognized brands and organizations in the world. SSL protocol enables
applications to transmit information securely. Organizations must
install SSL certificates, usually indicated by an “https://” designation
or a padlock icon in the browser address bar, on their web servers in
order to initiate secure sessions with web browsers. DigiCert is the
world’s third largest issuer of high-assurance certificates, serving
more than 60,000 clients in 176 countries. The company is headquartered
in Lindon, Utah.

“DigiCert offers a compelling value proposition to its customers,” said
Jason P. Werlin, a Principal at TA Associates who will join the
company’s Board of Directors. “The company’s differentiators include
excellent customer service, best in class security and user-friendly
tools, all offered at an affordable price. As a result, DigiCert has
seen very strong growth over the past several years. We look forward to
working closely with the company’s talented management team to continue
that growth.”

“We have known the professionals at TA Associates for many years and are
pleased to welcome the firm as an investor in DigiCert,” said Nicholas
Hales, CEO, DigiCert, Inc. “DigiCert has grown through strategic product
development, key partnerships, an unrelenting focus on customer success
and attracting strong talent to strengthen DigiCert’s corporate
infrastructure. A partnership with a deeply experienced firm like TA
fits squarely within that focus and we are confident this will prove to
be a highly beneficial and productive relationship for DigiCert.”

“We chose to partner with TA Associates because of their demonstrated
experience in adding value to profitable, growing businesses such as
DigiCert,” said Ryan Woodley, DigiCert’s CFO and COO. “Over the past
several years, we have substantially grown revenues and increased market
share primarily through earned trust and client referrals. With TA’s
added support and strategic guidance we will strive to accelerate that
growth.”

“Growth in the SSL certificate market is the result of several trends,
including the need for web pages handling sensitive information to have
secure lines for data transfer, as well as new security challenges posed
by cloud computing,” said A. Bruce Johnston, a Managing Director at TA
Associates who will also join the company’s Board of Directors. “In
addition, the continued growth in e-commerce and the attendant need to
establish secure vendor websites will foster ongoing demand for SSL
certificates. DigiCert is well positioned to capitalize on these trends.”

O'Melveny & Myers provided legal counsel to TA Associates. Goodwin
Procter LLP served as legal counsel and William Blair served as a
financial advisor to DigiCert.

About DigiCert, Inc.

DigiCert is a premier online trust provider of enterprise security
solutions with an emphasis on authentication, PKI and high-assurance
digital certificates. Headquartered in Lindon, Utah, DigiCert is trusted
by a continually growing clientele of more than 60,000 of the world’s
leading government, finance, education and Fortune 500® organizations.
DigiCert has been recognized for its excellence in customer support and
the workplace, and was applauded for its value-added product features
with the 2011 Frost & Sullivan Customer Value Enhancement Award for SSL
Certificates. For the latest news and updates on DigiCert, visit www.digicert.com,
like DigiCert on Facebook® or follow Twitter® handle @digicert.

About TA Associates

Founded in 1968, TA Associates is one of the largest and most
experienced middle-market growth private equity firms. The firm has
invested in over 425 companies globally and has raised $18 billion in
capital. With offices in Boston, Menlo Park, London, Mumbai and Hong
Kong, TA Associates leads buyouts and minority recapitalizations of
profitable growth companies in the healthcare, technology, financial
services, business services and consumer industries. More information
about TA Associates can be found at www.ta.com.

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